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Coquille nabs volleyball playoff spot
By John Gunther, Sports Editor
Friday, October 30, 2009 | No comments posted.
COQUILLE — Coquille’s volleyball team started the Sunset Conference Season on a sluggish note, with three straight losses.
The Red Devils rebounded to put themselves in the playoff picture, but then started Thursday’s win-or-season’s-over match with visiting Rogue River on a similarly sluggish note.
Then Coquille turned to teamwork to take control of the match, sweeping the Chieftains 26-24, 25-17, 25-21 to lock up a spot in the Class 3A playoffs.
After the final point, a quick-tip kill by setter Chelsy Forbes, the Red Devils were both relieved and thrilled.
“I’m most definitely excited,” Forbes said. “We just want to keep playing.”
Where Coquille ends up in the postseason will be decided in the league’s playoffs, which begin Monday when the Red Devils host Myrtle Point. The loser of that match will be the No. 4 seed for the Class 3A playoffs. The winner visits Bandon on Tuesday to decide the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds.
Rogue River kept things interesting throughout the first game Thursday, when neither squad led by more than two points until Taylor Gederos had four straight service points to give Coquille a 14-9 advantage. The Chieftains managed to tie the score three times, the last coming at 24-all on a kill by Alli Ehrhardt.
But Rogue River then had a service error and Kelsey Hill clinched the win for the Red Devils with a kill.
Coquille kept the suspense away from the other two games. The Red Devils built a 21-9 lead in the second contest before the Chieftains rallied to make the score respectable. In the third game, Forbes served four straight points to break a 13-all tie. Courtney Davis, who sat the first two games as Coquille’s two seniors saw extended time on the court, aided in the win by slamming three kills and teaming with Gederos for a pair of stuff blocks.
Nikki Hall, who led the Red Devils with 11 kills and added 10 digs, said the team improved its communication on the floor the final two games.
“I think we did better at talking,” she said. “Usually we’re pretty quiet.”
Hall was just one of the options Forbes had in Coquille’s offensive attack. Gederos finished with eight kills and three aces and Hill had nine kills. Allison Cook added five kills and a block at the net.
“The offense was going good,” Forbes said.
The result was what the team needed to extend its season.
“I’m proud of our team to go to the playoffs,” Hall said.
Still, the Red Devils weren’t thrilled with their performance.
“We could have played better,” Forbes said.
The team struggled with its passing, which made setting more challenging for Forbes.
The defense was mostly solid, with Kaitlyn Altenbach and Jenna Stone combining for 23 digs. The front line also got tips on a number of the attacks by the Chieftains.
Ehrhardt and Jesse Sondag each had eight kills for the Chieftains, but Rogue River wasn’t able to generate much more offense.
Coquille coach Danielle McKinley would have liked to see her team play better, but was thrilled with the win and its resulting playoff berth.
“They did well enough,” she said.
McKinley expects a much better effort in the league playoffs.
“Just the fact that it’s Myrtle Point will get them fired up,” she said.
The Red Devils rebounded to put themselves in the playoff picture, but then started Thursday’s win-or-season’s-over match with visiting Rogue River on a similarly sluggish note.
Then Coquille turned to teamwork to take control of the match, sweeping the Chieftains 26-24, 25-17, 25-21 to lock up a spot in the Class 3A playoffs.
After the final point, a quick-tip kill by setter Chelsy Forbes, the Red Devils were both relieved and thrilled.
“I’m most definitely excited,” Forbes said. “We just want to keep playing.”
Where Coquille ends up in the postseason will be decided in the league’s playoffs, which begin Monday when the Red Devils host Myrtle Point. The loser of that match will be the No. 4 seed for the Class 3A playoffs. The winner visits Bandon on Tuesday to decide the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds.
Rogue River kept things interesting throughout the first game Thursday, when neither squad led by more than two points until Taylor Gederos had four straight service points to give Coquille a 14-9 advantage. The Chieftains managed to tie the score three times, the last coming at 24-all on a kill by Alli Ehrhardt.
But Rogue River then had a service error and Kelsey Hill clinched the win for the Red Devils with a kill.
Coquille kept the suspense away from the other two games. The Red Devils built a 21-9 lead in the second contest before the Chieftains rallied to make the score respectable. In the third game, Forbes served four straight points to break a 13-all tie. Courtney Davis, who sat the first two games as Coquille’s two seniors saw extended time on the court, aided in the win by slamming three kills and teaming with Gederos for a pair of stuff blocks.
Nikki Hall, who led the Red Devils with 11 kills and added 10 digs, said the team improved its communication on the floor the final two games.
“I think we did better at talking,” she said. “Usually we’re pretty quiet.”
Hall was just one of the options Forbes had in Coquille’s offensive attack. Gederos finished with eight kills and three aces and Hill had nine kills. Allison Cook added five kills and a block at the net.
“The offense was going good,” Forbes said.
The result was what the team needed to extend its season.
“I’m proud of our team to go to the playoffs,” Hall said.
Still, the Red Devils weren’t thrilled with their performance.
“We could have played better,” Forbes said.
The team struggled with its passing, which made setting more challenging for Forbes.
The defense was mostly solid, with Kaitlyn Altenbach and Jenna Stone combining for 23 digs. The front line also got tips on a number of the attacks by the Chieftains.
Ehrhardt and Jesse Sondag each had eight kills for the Chieftains, but Rogue River wasn’t able to generate much more offense.
Coquille coach Danielle McKinley would have liked to see her team play better, but was thrilled with the win and its resulting playoff berth.
“They did well enough,” she said.
McKinley expects a much better effort in the league playoffs.
“Just the fact that it’s Myrtle Point will get them fired up,” she said.
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